Analysing the Development Implications of Technological Innovations from China to SSA economies: A Conceptual Framework

China’s relationship with Africa has grown enormously, especially in the last two decades. From trade to foreign direct investment and official development assistance to migration, there are many myths surrounding the relationship between China and Africa, some of which are being dispelled through research. However, the academic community is still at an early stage in researching this evolving relationship and its impact on Africa economies. A significant gap remains in the literature in the area of technology transfer from China to African economies and developing countries in general. This paper seeks to present a literature review on various issues on technology, developing a conceptual framework that will guide future research in analysing the impact of technology transfer from China on recipient developing countries as well as informing policy

Are Chinese Technologies A Mode Of Entry For Firms In Developing Countries? The Case of Furniture Manufacturing in Kenya

Kenya has started to rely significantly on technologies developed in developing countries particularly China rather than those from advanced countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Using data from furniture manufacturing firms in Kenya, the paper compares the investment cost and the scale characteristics of the technologies (machines and equipment) from China with those from advanced countries and Kenya. By examining the characteristics of the firms that have invested in technologies from various sources, the paper concludes that the technologies from China and Kenya have lessened entry barrier (specifically high capital cost) for new firms, compared to advanced country technologies. Chinese technology appears to serve as an entry mode more than the Kenyan technology. In terms of barriers to entry, therefore Chinese and Kenyan technologies appear to be more appropriate for Kenya (and more generally developing countries) than advanced country technolog

China's Presence in Developing Countries' Technology Basket: The Case of Furniture Manufacturing in Kenya

China has emerged as the leading source of capital goods for Kenya and Sub Saharan Africa as a whole, which before the noughties depended largely on advanced countries for capital goods. Thus, there is a disruption of the pattern of technology transfer to Sub Saharan Africa including Kenya. A significant aspect of this disruption is that the capital goods are being produced within a developing country context (China) and for other developing countries. This issue motivated this research, which contributes to the literature by exploring the potential impact of Chinese technologies (capital goods) on the development of other developing countries vis-à-vis the impact of technologies from advanced countries and the domestic economy. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches and data from Kenya’s furniture manufacturing firms, including both formal and informal sector firms. It was found that the technologies from China (and also Kenya) are more amenable for inclusive industrial development especially with respect to employment creation and poverty reduction. These technologies are more labour intensive, compared to the advanced country technologies. They allow poor entrepreneurs to start their own businesses with a relatively high degree of automation, which they would not be able to afford if the only available technology were the technology from advanced countries. They are also pro-poor in terms of producing goods to meet the consumption needs of the poor. It was also found that the diffusion of the Chinese technology is higher among informal sector firms than among formal sector firms. However, the Chinese technology is less common than the Kenyan technology in the informal sector while the formal sector firms mainly rely on the advanced country technology. All the three technologies are transferred/ diffused mainly through arm’s length trade. The fact that the Chinese and Kenyan technologies yield a more inclusive development outcome than those from advanced countries indicates that industrial policies for developing countries should take into consideration the critical issue of technology choice

Youth and Saving in Ghana: A Baseline Report From the YouthSave Ghana Experiment

Youth and Saving in Ghana: A Baseline Report From the YouthSave Ghana Experimen

The (im)possibility of Southern theory: the opportunities and challenges of cultural brokerage in co-producing knowledge about China-Africa relations

A decade of researching China–Africa relations has been constructive but also frustrating, because the production of critical analysis has been dominated by researchers based in the ‘West’ despite a desire for co-produced knowledge. Using a series of ethnographic reflections from our research, we examine the possibilities of taking on board, but moving beyond, Connell’s critique of ‘Southern theory’. Connell argues that theory production about the global South tends to be extractive with Western epistemologies framing ‘legitimate’ knowledge. Producing theory that reflects Southern concerns and needs is not about inverting this bias but takes place through production of ‘connected’ knowledges in the sense that Bhambra invokes. She sees social reality in the global South as always constructed from historical and spatial connections and so analysis can proceed by recognizing such connectedness in building theory. This connectedness that involves an increasingly globalized China, and, arguably, greater scope for African agency, ‘ruffles’ some of the spatial categories and power relations implicit in much postcolonial theory. Methodologically it speaks to the need for cultural brokerage that attempts to straddle and connect peoples, places and epistemologies, albeit without ever escaping the established power hierarchies of knowledge production. It also forces us to consider the political economy of research across different national settings, which shape how scholars relate

Firm-Level Innovation In Africa: Overcoming Limits and Constraints

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